In many infant and child strollers on the market today, a hood, canopy, or shade is included on the stroller in order to shield the stroller occupant from rain, snow, sun, insects, noise, etc. As is well known in the art, various problems and difficulties have been encountered in providing suitable shading devices for protecting infants and children when they are exposed to weather elements.
Many conventional strollers have permanent canopies configured to protect the occupant. However, these canopies only protect the child from overhead (i.e., vertical) weather elements, and are ineffective for protecting the child occupant from lateral and reflected rays of sunlight. Moreover, as the stroller traverses, the lateral and reflected rays of sunlight come in different directions according to the direction in which the stroller travels, making it difficult for an adult to effectively protect the child by using temporary means, such as strategically placed blankets or other shields. Some strollers have permanent shields that are sized and configured to fit about the entire stroller. However, these shields can be large and cumbersome, and do not provide easy access to the child.